When Federal cooperation was extended to the states
in 1933 for park and recreation area development through CCC and relief
labor and funds, the Branch was given charge of these activities. As
Supervisor of Recreation and Land Planning, Mr. Wirth is the
administrative officer of the Service immediately in charge of CCC and
emergency relief-financed work in national parks and monuments, state,
county and metropolitan parks and recreation areas. As a member of the
Advisory Council of the CCC, he represents the entire Department of the
Interior in its relations with the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Branch of Recreation, Land Planning and State
Cooperation also has charge of the Park, Parkway and Recreational-Area
Study.

State Park Acreage has Doubled Under the Federal Aid
Program for Planning and Development.

The most extensive participation by the Service in
conservation for recreation outside the Federal field has been in
progress since April 1933 when various bureaus of the Department were
assigned to give technical supervision to work projects of the Civilian
Conservation Corps. The National Park Service was designated to
supervise the work of the Corps not only on areas of the national park
system, but on state, county and metropolitan parks and recreation areas
in cooperation with the state and local governments administering these
areas. A little later the Service participated in park development
projects on non-Federal areas, with labor paid from relief funds, and
undertook the development of 46 Federal recreational demonstration area
projects in 24 states, on which both CCC and relief labor is used.

When the CCC program was started in April 1933, Fire
Control Expert John D. Coffman was called to Washington from the Pacific
Coast to take charge of National Park Service participation. Later that
year, when it became apparent that the state park CCC work supervised by
the Service would develop into a large program, a separate division was
established within the Branch of Planning under Mr. Wirth. Mr. Coffman,
however, continued to supervise both CCC and Civil Works Administration
projects on areas of the national park system. The State Park ECW
organization was similar to the national park organization, complete
with facilities and personnel for the planning and supervision of all
phases of work operations, including engineering, historical, wildlife,
etc.

Because of the spread of these projects throughout
the United States, it was necessary to establish a regional plan of
operation of the State Park ECW organization. At first there were four
regions set up, and soon after a fifth was added. Later, eight regions
were established, but finally, the number was reduced again to four.
This organization handled both CCC and ERA work programs in state,
county and metropolitan parks and recreational demonstration areas.

On January 15, 1936, a major change in the
organizational set-up for handling CCC and ERA operations was made when
these activities in both national park system and state and local park
areas were combined under the Branch of Recreation, Land Planning and
State Cooperation on the regional basis. Then, on August 15, 1937 the
entire National Park Service was regionalized on the basis of the
existing four regions. This combined regular national park work,
national park CCC and ERA, state cooperative CCC and ERA, and
recreational demonstration area CCC and ERA work under a single
organizational system.

In handling CCC work on non-Federal areas, the
Service maintains relationship with the states, counties or
municipalities through individuals known as "park authorities" who
represent the local park administering bodies. Usually the park
authority is the head or executive officer of a park commission. He
makes the application for assignment of a CCC camp to a park, initiates
the work projects, and places them before the National Park Service for
its approval. Work done with CCC or relief funds on national parks and
monuments is in the charge of the park superintendent or monument
custodian.